


Coin Laundry

by beomshell



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 15:21:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21760312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beomshell/pseuds/beomshell
Summary: Welcome to Park’s Coin Laundry! Where you can wash your clothes at the expense of a few dollars and embarrass yourself in front of the cutest boy you’ve ever laid eyes on!
Relationships: Choi Youngjae/Im Jaebum | JB
Comments: 17
Kudos: 63





	1. A New Cycle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all... this will be my BIGGEST work to date and djsdkshds i Know i need to update my other fics but i've had this chapter sitting here collecting dust for weeks... i have now set her free bc i'm stupid
> 
> i also have an excel spreadsheet where i've mapped out each and every character in this fic we are DIVING IN AND GOING OT7

The local laundromat was probably Jaebeom’s favourite discovery since moving into his new apartment. Because he no longer drives, Jaebeom has to take a ten minute bus ride as well as a fifteen minute walk from the station. But he doesn’t mind... in fact, he even volunteers to do the laundry himself, without any qualms. At Park’s Coin Laundry (or PCL, for short), you’re greeted with a sick neon blue sign, reminding you that this establishment is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The walls are a pretty mint green with mismatched picture frames mounted here and there. There are children’s drawings inside each and every one of them. Jaebeom likes to stare at some of them while he’s waiting for his clothes to dry. He usually also loves the loud whir of the equipment, accompanied by the chaotic sloshing of water… but tonight, he’s learnt not to stare at the barrels for too long. After a long and tiring day, the chaos in each and every one of the machines threaten to lull him to sleep. 

The machine furthest from him is finally unloaded by an old woman and Jaebeom stirs awake, ready to occupy it next. He smiles at her before reaching to grab his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. Well, he would’ve. If it was actually there.

“Oh, fuck,” he whispers to himself.

He definitely had it with him earlier, because he used it for his bus ride to the laundromat. Jaebeom quickly slings his backpack off his shoulders, unzipping every single pocket and shuffling through all his belongings.

It’s definitely gone.

Jaebeom stands there, numb with disbelief before he hears a quiet sigh from behind him. Only then does he realise just how much time he’s spent patting himself down, looking through every crevice of his bag. He appears to be hogging the only available washing machine, quickly turning around and seeing Him. The gorgeous guy that’s here every now and then who can’t seem to stick to one hair colour. Jaebeom recently did a load of washing without separating his clothes, because in order to memorise each and every detail of his handsome face, he had to also forget how to function as a human being. And deal with a very upset roommate who now had an array of grey-stained shirts.

Tonight, he’s dressed in a teal corduroy jacket, which perfectly matches his electric blue hair. As always, he looked good… and this time, understandably fed up.

“I’m so sorry,” Jaebeom says. He knew he’d eventually work up the courage to talk to him, one day. “I think I’ve lost my wallet.” 

This wasn’t exactly the first encounter he had pictured in mind.

“I can see that,” he replies, nonchalantly. 

Unsurprisingly enough, even his voice was beautiful. This was… not ideal in the slightest. 

The guy reaches for a small, knitted pouch from his pocket and goes to hand Jaebeom an exact amount of change. Jaebeom, enthralled by his beauty now that he can actually see it up close, does what he does best. Freeze. He also doesn’t take the money.

“Use it. Go find your wallet.”

He’s so, so tempted to object. But Jaebeom needs clean shirts for work this upcoming week. Jackson... his beloved roommate, needs clean underwear so he can stop stealing and wearing his own. And quite frankly, Jaebeom is more than happy to let him keep it. He’s not going to share undies with anyone, not even the laundromat guy. He doesn’t know him like that. 

The impatient look growing on the guy’s face snaps Jaebeom right out of his thoughts. 

“Seriously? You’d do that?” he blurts out loudly.

“Yes.”

“What’s your name?” he asks, now lowering his volume considerably.

“Youngjae.”

“I really don’t want to hassle you, Youngjae. Don’t worry about the money, you can just go first.”

“I can study while I wait.”

Oh, so he’s a student. Youngjae goes ahead, brushes past him and slides the coins in the slot himself, in the amount of time it takes for Jaebeom to realise he didn’t bother to ask for his own name in return.

“You’re wasting time.” Youngjae’s face just screams “ _and mine, too_ ”, at which Jaebeom feels a pang of guilt. In fact, he’s feeling a lot of things right now, half of which have absolutely nothing to do with his missing wallet. 

He doesn’t think twice about leaving his massive drawstring bag full of dirty laundry with a complete stranger. He doesn’t even load the pile of clothes in the machine himself. He simply bolts out of the door and into the night, extremely embarrassed. But hopeful as well. 

Jaebeom figures he has roughly an hour or so before he needs to return, so he sets out to retrace his steps. Finding the nearest ATM, he quickly withdraws a $50 note (thank god for cardless cash) before temporarily freezing his bank account through his phone. Luckily he realises that he needs to halve his allotted hour, in order for him to make his way back to the laundromat. He would rather die than keep Youngjae waiting for longer than he should, so he cuts his losses and heads back, empty handed.

Youngjae knows from the look on Jaebeom’s face that he had no luck. He remains expressionless when Jaebeom tries to hand him a crinkled $50 note.

“It’s fine.”

“No Youngjae, seriously.”

“I don’t have any change.”

Jaebeom gives out an exasperated sigh, not wanting to rope in other customers into this mess by asking them to split his note. So he tries a different approach altogether. “I’m Jaebeom, by the way. I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself earlier.”

Youngjae doesn’t respond immediately, now taking all his belongings and slowly arranging them away in his tote bag. At this rate, Jaebeom will have to speed-walk to the train station to buy himself a temporary ticket to make the last train home. Buses don’t operate this late on a Friday night, and it’s stupid. But rushing him right now would guarantee further disaster, and Jaebeom doesn’t think he can handle another screw-up. He stills as Youngjae licks his lips before finally speaking.

“Um…” 

And as it turns out, he doesn’t have to physically say anything for it to happen. On his way to the door, Youngjae hands back Jaebeom’s freshly washed and dried laundry, uttering the next set of words that’ll haunt him for the rest of the weekend, probably if not his entire lifetime. 

“You must go through a lot of underwear.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what have i been doing lately? i will tell u... i have been crying over @/otter_u posts on ig

“I got us a washing machine!"

_What?_

"Now you won’t have to trek it to the middle of nowhere for us to have clean clothes everyday,” Jackson announces, slapping his roommate’s back and beaming proudly. “Consider it your birthday present!”  
  
Jaebeom had just spent his Saturday morning reporting his lost wallet to the police, as well as the local train station. Jackson lent him enough cash to last him until his new debit card arrives, probably out of pity after Jaebeom recounted his night, leaving out his mortifying first encounter with Youngjae. He wasn’t expecting to come home to this.

“M-my birthday isn’t even until next year,” he stammers in disbelief.

“Great! So is mine! That’s enough time for me to forget about buying this thing so I can buy us another present then!” 

Jaebeom has no words. 

“What do you mean you got us a washing machine? How did you buy it?”

“Uhh… with money?”

“Jackson-” Jaebeom says with a stern voice, laced with panic. He can’t afford to split the cost of a washing machine with such little notice.

“Hey, calm down! I feel partially responsible for your stolen wallet. So I thought you’d appreciate this!”

“ _Missing_ wallet. And I _do_ appreciate it.”

“Stolen, missing… whatever. Now you’ll get to spend more time with your favourite roommate! You won’t have to make those long trips to get our clothes washed anymore!”

Jaebeom makes a small hum, still trying to process what was happening. Jackson excitedly pulls up his phone, showing him the exact model he purchased. Unlike the washing machines at the laundromat, this one was loaded from the top. There’s no tiny window to look into. There’d also be no Youngjae nearby to distract himself with. He guesses it’s something he’s going to have to get used to from now on.

“I’m so proud of myself, you know? I’ve never bought a washing machine on my own before. It arrives on Monday, that’s your day off right?”

“...Yeah?” Jaebeom replies. “Home washing machine... washing machine at home. Monday.”

“I get that you’re shocked… But you don’t sound too thrilled about it either,” Jackson pouts, pointing out the obvious. 

“It’s not that. How did you even afford this?”

“Does it matter?” Jackson asks, now growing slightly irritated. 

Jaebeom comes to the conclusion that he might as well unload his current dilemma on the only other pair of ears in his apartment. Jackson seems like a good listener. He figures that he might as well confide in someone about it. Maybe he could even help him out, which he doubts.

“Well… there’s this guy...”

And Jaebeom goes through the horrific ordeal of filling in all the missing Youngjae details of Friday night. He has his head in his hands by the time he’s finished. Jackson has one foot on Jaebeom’s lap and the other leg draped over the back of their sofa. Jaebeom was thankful his roommate decided to wear socks that evening.

“You should just ask him out,” he says.

“He thinks I’m weird,” Jaebeom replies bitterly.

“Instead of just giving him the money back and never talking to him again, ask him out. For coffee or something.”

“He thinks I’m _weird_. Why would he go out with me for coffee?!”

“Because it’s free coffee?”

“It’s not free if it’s paying back the money he gave to me! Were you even listening?”

“He gave you some spare change and you’re making it sound like he massacred an entire village to help you out. Stop being dramatic!”

“ _You’re_ the one bringing up village massacres!”

“What are you more scared of? Embarrassing yourself out in public again? Or being shot down by the hottest dude you’ve ever come across?” Jackson coos, trying to use his foot to caress his face.

Jaebeom groans and bats it away with the TV remote.

“Can’t it be both?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you just? buy a washing machine if your apartment didn’t have one in the first place? i don’t know how these things work. but it doesn't matter because jackson can do anything he puts his mind to

**Author's Note:**

> [ my twitter!! ](https://mobile.twitter.com/bbomdi?s=09)


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